Apparatus for facilitating removing articles from a storage box



Nov. 6, 1962 H. P. LE BLANC. JR 3, 62, 5

APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING REMOVING ARTICLES FROM A STORAGE BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1960 INVENT OR HENRY P. LEBLANQJR ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1962 H. P. LE BLANC. JR 3,062,405

APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING REMOVING ARTICLES FROM A STORAGE BOX 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed April 11, 1960 INVENTOR HENRY P. LEBLANC, JR.

BY 'gwzmad ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1962 H. P. LE BLANC, JR APPARATUS F 3,062,405 OR FACILITATING REMOVING j ARTICLES FROM A STORAGE BOX Filed April 11. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 J: I: i F I r o 8 0 3 2 Q J o r e 8 A 3 i J i. 3 J J A J: AA ii IIT HTIPTEH TFHTH LL 8 D I N Q11" [o o o o o o o OW l INVENTOR g HENRY P. LEBLANC JR. N) Y Y it wuql ufi ww ATTORNEYS United States The present invention relates to an improved device for storing articles and is more particularly concerned to the provisions of means for bringing the stored articles to a position of access by an operator to facilitate removing the article or for placing the article in position for transfer or a storage position.

The invention has particular utility in connection with storage boxes or cabinets which may be refrigerated or otherwise, a primary objects being provision of improved means to move the articles to a position of easy access by the operator or to difierent locations Within the box.

Ancillary to the preceding object, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a conveyor rack for Supporting articles, the rack being adapted to be placed into any box-like structure so that articles may be stored and may be easily removed from the structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor structure for use with a storage box, the conveyor structure making loading and unloading of articles from the box a simple task.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor structure for use with a storage box or atet the like, the conveyor structure being such thatthe operation may have easy access to any item within the box by selectively operating the conveyor structure in such a manner as to bring the article to a point of access by the shortest path possible.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerated storage box wherein an even cooling and an undisturbed distribution in circulation of air about the article stored therein is obtained and yet the articles may be easily positioned in and removed therefrom.

Ancillary to the preceding object, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator box wherein older and colder articles from the bottom of the box or a position where they are not readily accessible may be repositioned so that fresh articles may be placed on the bottom of the box without removal of the older articles.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of storage box for packaged foods, frozen foods, beverages, groceries or the like, the articles being so supported within the box that the operator may selectively remove a desired article without first removing other articles in the box.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of storage box having means therein for providing easy access of stored articles, the means being so arranged as to store a maximum number of articles in a minimum space.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved conveyor rack for supporting articles, the conveyor rack being adapted to be received in con ventional storage boxes whereby the conventional boxes may be converted into boxes having automatic access of articles stored therein.

7 These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully in the following specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a storage box of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the box of are the present invention showing the improved conveyor rack in side elevation and installed within the box;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the box of the present invention taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and a front elevation of the conveyor rack installed within the box;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view, partly in elevation, and taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3, portions of the figure being broken away for purposes of clarity.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts, and in particular, to FIGURES 1 and 2, an apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention preferably comprises a storage box or cabinet generally designated at 10 and comprising side walls 12, a front wall 14, a rear wall 16 and top and bottom walls 18 and 20 respectively. The walls of the box 10 are suitably insulated when the box is used as a refrigerator and any suitable cooling means may be provided such as cooling coils 22 on the side walls 12, a compressor 24 and heat exchanger 26 (all shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 1). While the heat exchanger 26 and compressor 24 have been shown positioned in the bottom of box 10, it will be understood that such units can be located outside of the box. Further, the box 10 has utility for storage of non-refrigerated products, such as dry food products or the like, and when used as such, the cooling means is eliminated. The box 10 is disclosed as a refrigerator and, more particularly, as a box for storage of bottled and canned beverages as indicated at B, however, any frozen product characteristics may be stored in the box as will be evident later in the specification.

Storage box 10 is provided in its top Wall 18 with an access door 28 suitably hinged at 30. The access door 28 is preferably made of a transparent material such as glass or a glass substitute so that the operator may observe the contents of the box prior to making a selection of an article therefrom.

While the box 10 may be loaded through the access door 28 by the grocery clerk, if the box is positioned in such a manner where it is desirable to load the same from the rear, a second access door 32 which is hinged at 34 may be provided in the rear wall 16. It will be un derstood that when such a construction is desired, such as in a self-service store, the grocery clerk may load the apparatus from the rear out of vision of the shopper.

An article supporting conveyor rack generally designated at 36 and best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 is adapted to be installed in the cabinet or box 10 as a permanent part of the same or if desired, the rack 36 may be installed into existing cabinets so as to convert the same to use as a more efficient storage and selfservicing unit. Rack 36 includes a frame structure comprising a pair of horizontally spaced vertical standards 38 and 40 providing one side frame member and a second pair of horizontally spaced vertical standards 42 providing an oppositely disposed side frame member. Only one standard 42 is shown in FIGURE 3, it being understood that the pair of standards 42 are substantially identical to the standards 38 and 40 are arranged as a mirror image of the same. The front standards 38 and 42 are connected together at their bottom by a suitable cross member 44. Upper and lower horizontally extending side elements 46 and 48 respectively connect the front and rear vertical standards of each side frame member together as shown in FIGURE 2. Upper and lower rear cross members 58 and 52 respectively are connected to and extend between the cross members 46 and 48 respectively and give the rack structure 36 added rigidity.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 4 and 5 and generally to FIGURES 2 and 3, it will be noted that each of the vertical standards 38 and 40 comprising one side frame member as well as the horizontally spaced vertical standards 42 comprising the other side member are provided with vertically aligned and spaced stub shafts 54 extending inwardly thereof toward the opposite side frame member. The stub shafts 54- are provided with a head 56 which rotatably retains a V-pulley 58 thereon. As shown in FIGURE 2, a side frame member comprised of the standards 38 and 48 is provided with two vertical rows of pulleys 58 with each pulley having a horizontal axis. However, it will be noted that while the pulleys mounted on the standar 38 ave the same spacing between each other as the pulleys 58 mounted on the standard 48, the pulleys mounted on the standard 48 are staggered vertically so that one pulley is provided on the standard 40 vertically between each two pulleys 58 mounted on the standard 38. The vertical side frame made up of the spaced standards 42 which are diametrically opposed to the standards 38 and 48 are provided with an identical arrangement of pulleys 58, the pulleys of the front standard 42 being on common aligned axes with the pulleys on standard 38 whereas the pulleys on the rear standard 42 are on common aligned axes with the pulleys on rear standard 4-9.

A \l-shaped drive pulley 62 (FIGURE 2) is mounted on each horizontally extending cross member 46, the drive pulley 62 on one cross member 46 having a common axis with the drive pulley 62 mounted on the other cross member 46. In more detail, a drive shaft 63 rotatably mounted in a bearing 64 extends through member 46 as shown as in FIGURE 6 and is adapted to have the pulley 62 keyed thereto in suitable manner. A motor 66 carried on a bracket 68 welded to the cross member 46 is adapted to be coupled with the drive shaft 63 as indicated at 70. There is one motor 66 for each of the drive shafts 63 and drive pulleys 62 as best shown in FIGURE 3. The motor 66 may be any suitable electric motor which is reversible so that the direction of rotation of the pulleys 62 can be changed. Motors 66 are synchronized in the usual manner so that operation of a single control switch means 74 mounted on the front of the cabinet will instantaneously start both motors in a desired direction and drive both pulleys 62 at the same speed. If only one motor 66 is used, a flexible drive shaft may extend between the pulleys .62 so as to simultaneously drive the same.

As shown in FIGURE 2, a control box or switch means '76 may be provided on the rear wall 16 so that a clerk can have control of the apparatus when loading the same through the access door 32 in the rear thereof. It will be understood that the switch means 76 may be placed in a parallel circuit with the switch means 74 so that either switch unit can be .used to operate the apparatus.

An idler pulley 78 is mounted on each of the lower hori zontal side frame elements 48 in vertical alignment with the drive pulleys 62. The idler pulley 78 of one element 48 has a common aligned axis with idler pulley 78 of the other element 48.

Endless belts 88 and 82 are trained over the pulleys 58 carried by each side frame member as shown in FIGURE 3. As shown in FIGURE 2, the endless belt 88 is trained back and forth over the pulleys 58 carried on the vertical standards 38 and 48 so that it provides a zigzag path with a plurality of slightly converging runs 86 immediately above one another. The endless belt 88 is then trained about the idler pulley 78 and the drive pulley 62 so as to rcvide a vertical run 88. It will be understood that the belt 82 on the opposite side of the frame structure 36 is identically trained about its pulleys 58 as well as its drive and idler pulleys 62 and 78 respectively so that in effect, it is a mirror image of the belt 80.

Each of the endless belts and 82 are identical in construction and are provided with a transverse cross section which is double V-shaped so that it can cooperate with the pulleys on either side depending on how it is trained over the respective pulleys. Referring to FIGURE 2, it will be noted that the runs 86, when the conveyor belt 80 is moving, will move both over the top and bottom of the pulleys 58 so that alternate runs are moving substantially in an opposite direction. Further, it will be noted that the belt 80 is engaged on one side by the pulleys 58 in one vertical row of pulleys whereas it is engaged on the other side by the pulley 58 in the other vertical row of pulleys. By providing a double V-shaped construction to cooperate with the V-pulleys, it will now be apparent that both sides of the belt may be engaged and thus provide a smooth drive for the conveyor rack.

Each of the belts 80 and 82 are provided with a plurality of holes 88 extending transversely of the same and being longitudinally spaced along the same. There are the same number of holes in the belt 80 as there are holes in the belt 82.

A tray structure generally designated at 90 and made of wire or the like is provided with outwardly extending stub shafts 92 and 94, there being an integral central portion 95 between the stub shafts 92 and 94. A retaining rod 95a is carried along and above this central portion for purposes of insuring the articles are not inadvertently dropped from the tray. The stub shafts 92 and 94 have common aligned axes and are adapted to be received in the aligned holes 88 provided in belts 80 and 82 respectively, the trays 90 being adapted to hang by gravity as shown in FIGURE 4. By providing the body portion of the trays 90 of wire, there is little obstruction to the article suspended therein such as the bottle B and thus a more uniform cooling is provided.

Since the body portion of the trays 90 which are suspended between the two belts 80 and 82 hang by gravity at all times during their movement by belts 80 and 82, translational movement is obtained and, therefore, there is no necessity to provide clamping means for holding articles in the trays. In addition, the trays can support articles of different sizes so long as the size of the article is not great enough to interfere with a tray traveling in an opposite direction on one of the runs 86 immediately thereabove.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, it will be noted that an L-shaped plate member extends beneath each run 86 of the belts 80 and 82. The L-shaped plate member 100 is welded at one end as shown at 102 (FIG- URE 5) to one of the vertical standards 38, 40 and 42 and extends in cantilever relationship thereto beneath one of the runs 86 to a point adjacent one of the pulleys S8 in the other vertical row of pulleys. The L-shaped plate provides a means to limit the sag of the belts of a run 86 between cooperating pulleys 58 especially when the trays 98 are carrying articles. This safety feature prevents interference between oppositely moving trays 9 0 on adjacent runs .86 and insures smooth operation at all times.

It will now be understood that the conveyor rack 36 including the endless belts 80, 82 and the trays 90 supported therebetween may be made as a unit in varying sizes for existing cabinet structures. By providing controls for the reversible motors 66 on the outside of the existing cabinet structure or locating the controls at a suitable accessible place on the rack, the loading and unloading of the cabinet structure can be fully automatic. Further, the conveyor rack 36 and its associated parts may be made as an integral part of a cabinet.

By utilizing the arrangement of the double V-belts 80 and 82 with the pulley arrangement of two vertical rows of V-pulleys 58 so that the endless belts have a zigzag path through at least a portion of their travel, the maximum amount of available space for merchandise within the box is utilized. Further, the provision of tray structures made of wire and suspended in the manner heretofore described reduces freezing problems and operating costs when the conveyor rack 36 is used in the storage box 10 which is a refrigerator. Cooling air can flow evenly in and about the trays and the articles supported therein.

By having reversible motors 66, speed of access to any of the trays is reduced as the tray can be made to travel in a direction of shortest belt travel to the point of access. While the invention 'has been disclosed as utilizing two reversible motors 66 operating in synchronism to move the two conveyor belts 80 and 82, it would, of course, be within the scope of the invention to utilize one reversible motor to drive both drive pulleys 62 as heretofore described.

While the improved article storage conveyor rack and/ or storage box of the present invention has been described in its preferred embodiment, it is now obvous that certain changes, adjustments and modifications may be made without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention. For this reason, the terminology used throughout the specification is for the purpose of description and not limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Conveying apparatus for a storage box having opposed sidewalls and an access door at the top thereof comprising:

(1) spaced side frames mounted in opposed relationship adjacent said sidewalls;

(2) each of said side frames carrying two generally vertical rows of pulleys, the pulleys in one row being vertically staggered with respect to the pulleys in the other row on the same side frame, and the pulleys on the opposite side frame being positioned in symmetrically opposed relationship therewith;

(3) an endless double-V flexible belt trained alternately about the two rows of pulleys on each side frame in aligned relationship to one another, in zig-zag fashion, defining a plurality of runs one above the other, each of said belts having longitudinally spaced apart, transversely extending passages therein substantially along the neutral axis thereof, said pulleys having V-shaped peripheral recesses for receiving sai belts, the radial extent of each of said pulleys being of a length to terminate short of said transverse passages along the neutral axis of said belts whereby the passages are not blocked by said pulleys as said belts traverse about said pulleys;

(4) article receiving trays carried by opposed passages in said belts, said trays:

(a) having oppositely extending stub shafts received in said opposite passages providing pivotable movement of said trays relative to said belts, and

(b) having integral central portions depending below said belt runs to thereby remain in the same position by gravity during movement through said runs by virtue of the pivot connection with said belts, and a retaining member extending along and above each of said central portions;

(5) and supporting plates carried by said side frames immediately below said belt runs to support the weight thereof, said side frames terminating short of the transverse extents of said depending trays to provide movement of said trays therebetween.

2. Apparatus defined in claim 1 including means for refrigerating said storage box.

3. Conveying apparatus comprising:

-'(1) spaced apart side frames, each of said side frames carrying pulleys aligned in opposed relationship to one another;

(2) a double V-flexible endless belt trained about the pulleys of each side frame in aligned relationship with one another, whereby identical paths are traced thereby, each of said belts having longitudinally spaced, transversely extending passages therein along the neutral axis of each belt;

(3) said pulleys having V-shaped peripheral recesses for receiving said belts, the radial extent of each of said pulleys being of a length to terminate short of said transverse passages along the neutral axis of said belts whereby the passages are not blocked by said pulleys as said belts traverse about said pulleys;

(4) article conveying means spaced between said belts and including stub shafts operatively carried within said opposed passages providing pivotal movement of said article conveying means relative to said belts and having integral central portions depending below said belt paths to thereby remain in the same position by gravity during movement through said paths by virtue of the pivot connection with said belts, and a retaining member extending along and above said central portion to prevent articles carried thereby from dropping;

-(5 and means for driving said pulleys in unison whereby said article conveying means are operative to trace the path of said belts and are uninterrupted by said pulleys as the same moves thereabout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 567,683 Marvel Sept. 15, 1896 2,189,740 Mills Feb. 6, 1940 2,218,317 Parker Oct. 15, 1940 2,264,332 Peterson Dec. 2, 1941 2,296,740 Reiling Sept. 22, 1942 2,796,166 Rubli June 18, 1957 2,923,392 Gabrielsen Feb. 2, 1960 2,950,605 Hennion Aug. 30, 1960 

